Moncada, Benintendi among top prospect performers Sunday

No. 1 prospects for Braves, Padres continue to show improvement

By
William BoorMLB.com

The Red Sox's dynamic duo were at it again on Sunday as Yoan Moncada and Andrew Benintendi went a combined 7-for-9 at the plate with six extra-base hits and six runs scored to help Double-A Portland defeat Binghamton, 8-1.

Moncada, No. 2 on the Top 100, had another big game out of the leadoff spot for the Sea Dogs, finishing a home run short of the cycle and scoring four runs. The Red Sox's top-ranked prospect reached base four times in the contest, finishing 3-for-4 with a walk.

The Red Sox's dynamic duo were at it again on Sunday as Yoan Moncada and Andrew Benintendi went a combined 7-for-9 at the plate with six extra-base hits and six runs scored to help Double-A Portland defeat Binghamton, 8-1.

Moncada, No. 2 on the Top 100, had another big game out of the leadoff spot for the Sea Dogs, finishing a home run short of the cycle and scoring four runs. The Red Sox's top-ranked prospect reached base four times in the contest, finishing 3-for-4 with a walk.

As for Benintendi, the No. 7 overall prospect and Red Sox's No. 2, went 4-for-5 at the plate, hitting a pair of two-run home runs as well as two doubles en route to driving in five of Portland's eight runs.

With three more hits on Sunday, Moncada now is batting .289/.368/.563 over 32 games since being promoted to Double-A. Benintendi, meanwhile, lifted his Double-A batting line to .295/.357/.515, and he's now tallied eight home runs as well as 18 doubles in 63 games for the Sea Dogs.

• No. 5 overall prospectDansby Swanson (Braves' No. 1) went 2-for-5 with a two-run home run to help power Double-A Mississippi past Pensacola. The 2015 No. 1 overall Draft pick now has gone deep eight times in 73 games for the M-Braves, while the multi-hit performance improved his overall batting line to .262/.337/.414.

• No. 21 overall prospectAnderson Espinoza (Padres' No. 1) turned in his best performance since joining the Padres' system as he tossed five innings of three-hit ball for Class A Fort Wayne. The 18-year-old right-hander walked a pair and fanned four while completing five or more innings for the 11th time in 20 starts this season.

• No. 55 overall prospectFranklin Barreto's bat proved the difference in Double-A Midland's win versus Corpus Christi, as the A's No. 1 prospect hit a two-run homer and a double as part of a 3-for-5 game at the plate. It was the 20-year-old shortstop's sixth multi-hit performance in his last 11 contests.

• No. 73 overall prospect Jake Thompson picked up a win for a fifth straight start as Triple-A Lehigh Valley defeated Rochester, 5-1. The Phillies' No. 5 prospect allowed one earned run on four hits, struck out a pair and generated 12 ground-ball outs, with 59 of his 101 pitches going for strikes in the outing. Thompson, 22, is 8-0 in last 11 starts since the beginning of June, during which he's posted a stellar 1.21 ERA across 74 1/3 innings.

• 2016 fourth-rounder and Tigers No. 6 prospect Kyle Funkhouser tallied four strikeouts and yielded two hits as he tossed a career-best four scoreless innings for Class A Short Season Connecticut. The 22-year-old righty owns a 3.60 ERA through his first 20 innings (seven starts) as a professional, during which he's accrued 15 strikeouts against two walks without allowing a home run.

• Braves No. 6 prospect Mike Soroka lowered his ERA to 3.17 with six scoreless innings for Class A Rome in a win over Greenville. The 2015 first-rounder scattered five hits and struck out six en route to throwing 86 pitches (59 strikes) in the outing.

• Mets No. 8 prospect Thomas Szapucki's run of dominance continued Sunday as he piled up 10 more strikeouts in seven innings for Class A Short Season Brooklyn, though an unearned run in the fifth inning made the 20-year-old southpaw a tough-luck loser in the contest. A fifth-round Draft pick in 2015, Szapucki has posted a miniscule 0.44 ERA and 0.85 WHIP over 41 1/3 innings this season (seven starts) between the Appalachian and New York-Penn Leagues. He's struck out 65 hitters against 13 walks in the span, while holding opposing hitters to a .152 average.

• Marlins No. 11 prospect J.T. Riddle hit a solo home run as part of a 2-for-4 performance to extend his hitting streak to 20 games for Double-A Jacksonville. Though he's swung the bat well for the better part of the month, the 24-year-old has been especially hot of late, hitting an even .500 (19-for-38) over his last 10 games.

• Yankees No. 13 prospect Chance Adams improved to 12-0 this season and 7-0 as a member of Double-A Trenton as he tossed 5 1/3 scoreless frames in the nightcap of a doubleheader sweep against Altoona. The 2015 fifth-rounder has been outstanding so far in his first full season, posting a 2.41 ERA, 0.89 WHIP and 123-33 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 108 1/3 innings (21 starts) between the Class A Advanced and Double-A levels. Opposing hitters, meanwhile, are batting just .166 against the 21-year-old righty.

• In game one of Trenton's double dip, Yankees No. 15 prospectBilly McKinney, acquired along with Gleyber Torres in last week's Aroldis Chapman blockbuster, went 2-for-2 with a solo home run and two runs scored. Before heading to the Yankees, the 21-year-old outfielder batted .252/.355/.322 over 88 games for Double-A Tennessee.

• Rockies No. 20 prospectYency Almonte was at his best for Class A Advanced Modesto as he fired seven scoreless innings and matched his season high with 11 strikeouts. The 22-year-old righty scattered five hits and walked one, throwing 58 of his 97 pitches for strikes.

• Dodgers No. 30 prospect Edwin Rios slugged his first Double-A home run to help power Tulsa past Arkansas, 4-3. The home run was the 23rd of the season for the 2015 sixth-round Draft pick, who went deep six times for Class A Great Lakes and then hit 16 bombs in 42 games for Class A Rancho Cucamonga before moving up to the Texas League on July 28.

• Twins No. 30 prospect LaMonte Wade connected on a pair of home runs and tallied three RBIs, though it wasn't enough to keep Class A Advanced Fort Myers from losing to Clearwater. After hitting four home runs in 56 games for Class A Cedar Rapids, the 22-year-old outfielder has gone deep four times in his first 27 games for the Miracle.